The present invention relates generally to drawer slides, and more particularly to a drawer slide with a push-latch device.
Drawer slides are ubiquitous in cabinets, cabinet type structures, and rack mounted applications. In general, drawer slides are useful in providing extensible attachment of items to structures. Drawer slides are available in a number of configurations, including telescopic drawer slides, over and under drawer slides, undermount drawer slides, and other types of drawer slides. Often the members of the drawer slides are extendably coupled by ball bearings or the like to allow for smooth extension of the drawer slide member, although drawer slides in which the members directly engage each other are also used.
Discussing drawers for convenience, drawer slides are often used to extendably attach drawers and the like to cabinets, with extension of the drawer from the cabinet allowing for easy access to the contents of the drawer. It is often desirable that a mechanism be provided so that a drawer is maintained in the closed position with respect to a cabinet absent application of a positive force to open the drawer. Preferably such a mechanism does not add to the space required for the drawer slide and any associated elements as any excess space required by the drawer slide and any associated elements reduces the amount of space available for the drawer.
At times a detent, providing a frictional interface, performs such a function, and does so without utilizing significant additional space. The detent may be placed along a slide's range of travel approximate the closed position, such that both fully closing and beginning to open the slide requires force to overcome the frictional interface provided by the detent. Once closed, therefore, the slide member, and the drawer to which it is attached, remain in the closed position until the drawer is pulled with sufficient force to overcome the frictional interface.
The desired frictional interface often depends on a variety of considerations, such as expected loading of the drawer and other factors, and specific detent designs are generally required for different applications. Moreover, manufacturing variations may also introduce significant variations in detent performance. In addition, often handles and the like are required on the drawer to allow users to easily open drawers kept closed by detents, and in a variety of applications handles may be aesthetically unpleasing or, such as the case of medical applications, undesirable for functional reasons, such as is often the case in medical settings.
Self-closing drawer slides are also known, such as self-closing slides which use a spring to assist in pulling a drawer to the closed position. In such instances the force of the spring, which is in the same direction as the line of travel of the slide, may keep the drawer in the closed position until application of a counteracting force. Unfortunately, springs used in self-close applications often are required to be able to close a drawer regardless of whether the drawer is lightly loaded or heavily loaded, with heavily loaded drawers generally requiring increased spring forces to drive the drawer closed. Accordingly, opening the drawer may require excessive force, particularly for lightly loaded drawers. In addition, as with a detent, a handle will often be required to pull the drawer open.
Locking mechanisms may also be used to keep drawers in a closed position. Locking mechanisms, however, generally require manipulation to unlock the drawer. Such manipulation may require dexterous use of one's fingers, and possibly insertion of digits into tightly bound spaces.